Ultraman Flare: Episode 2
Appears * Human Alien: Basik * Evil Bird Monster: Death Flapper Chapter 1 The youth's head was a flame, instead of hair, of eyebrow, he had red and gold fire burning. His skin was a rich brown and his robes were heavenly white. Resting on his shoulders was a necklace of small jade and gold plates knitted together with bronze fiber. His eyes were a jade as he looked down on the world below. "Is this where he has gone then...?" said the other figure that appeared behind on his left. He wore the same heavenly white robes, but his upper body was marked by black chitin chest armor and shoulder pads. His head was alien, black leather, with two slots fore eyes, a gaping fanged mouth that opened to a white void and an elongated head with dreadlock like tendrils. "Indeed..." said Sol. "Young Flare was brought here." "Now..." said the other figure. He wore heavenly white, but on his upper body was the dark armor of a black knight, with fire erupting out of his visor. "I know you sensed 'that'..." "I agree with Akreious, what are you planning this time, Sol...?" said the other. "Z, Akreious..." said Sol "Why do you assume the folly of mortals to be 'my' doing...?" The three looked down at the world below. It orbited in a binary system, one normal size sun with a smaller star, barely larger than a gas giant, like a luminous, golden moon of its own. This planet was active, with space ships coming and going as part of a system of trade that extended far beyond this solar system. Upon its surface was Flare, in his humanoid form, phasing in and out of consciousness. He could only make out a few shaped, people, in white, doing something. "It is time for you to wake up, you slept long enough on the ride here..." Sol's irises shined with the light of the sun. Flare didn't know what it was that awoke him, but there was a jolt of power within him. He awoke with wires and pad all over his person, he wore light green pajamas of some sort and was in a bed, in a room made of white metal panels. There was no visible light source and next to him were machines. These machines were flashing red in a language he did not understand. He removed the wire and got up, his first thoughts were for his location, then he remembered Sol...he was gone. He looked around, but the ethereal commentator seemed absent. He walked towards the window and pressed his hand against. Immediately the shutters opened, to reveal some sort of base. There were fighters, and shuttles, being tended to in a hangar by humanoids, and not all of them could pass for human. Flare looked back when the door opened and in walked several soldiers, in grey armor. With them was an old man in a grey suit and white coat. 'Sol's eyes flashed again'. "Doctor get back...!" said one of the soldiers. Flare found it strange how he could understand them. "Oh calm down..." said the old man "The young boy is harmless..." "You don't know that...and you said it yourself, he has the...stuff inside, him, radioactive...!" "His radiation levels are normal, or we wouldn't be in here..." "Question..." said Flare, surprising them "Who are you people, and where am I..." "You can talk...?" said the soldier. Flare just gave him a look of annoyed disbelief. The soldier suddenly ran up towards him and pointed his gun at his face. "Who are you and where do you come from...!" The scientist face palmed. "Guy..." said Flare in a very dry and unhappy tone "I just came from, who knows, how many weeks, months stuck in a mine by slavers, seeing good people die and suffer. I am not in the mood to be nice right now...so I will ask just this once, 'please', remove that gun from my face..." "Or what...?" he replied. Flare grabbed the scope of the gun and in his grip, the alloys and other materials that composed it, gave way as they were crushed, bent and twisted. "Fascinating...!" said the scientist, while the guards looked at him with shock and disbelief. "So..." said Akreious "what does this mean...?" "Not everything has to have a meaning..." said Sol. "Come now, even 'I' know better than that." "Flare, will do what he does, to whatever outcome that entails. In truth, I'm only watching him so closely and he is so...defenseless right now... Why are you two here...?" "We've noticed you've been slacking..." said Z "Slacking...?" "You're not there to reign us in..." said Akreious "I am not always in the mood to control you two..." said Sol, annoyed "Besides I have my little game to play, when I'm done I will go to the proper timescapes and deal with your messes...can you two not end the Omniverse till then?" "I make no promises..." said Akreious. "Fascinating..." said the scientist. He sat with Flare as they ate at a table, several guards around them. "What is...?" asked Flare, uncomfortable with how the man stared at him as he ate blue milk and cereal. "You are...! Despite your seemingly conventional anatomy, your strength is...absurd..." "Thanks...?" he said "Why am I here...?" "You were found on ZX-RF43, where the Karvenions had a slave mine searching for an exotic mineral called 'Infernium'." "Why is it called 'Infernium'...?" "It has been described as an 'infernal' thing. It is highly radioactive, and turns into plasma when induced to a proper electrical charge...it's also in your system..." "Huh...?" "We thought you were suffering from poisoning, but...all our attempts to remove it proved pointless..." "Is that...?" "You seem fine, more than fine actually. If possible, would you mind staying here and let figure out your immunity..." Flare paused. "For a time, I don't want to stay in one place for a while..." "Why is that...?" "No idea...by the way have you seen a small trinket...a small golden statue, wand...thing?" "I will, check on it, is it important..?" "It's the only piece of my past I have left..." He stood up "I will see to it..." He then left the room, leaving Flare and few guards in the room. As Flare continued his meal, in the back of his mind, he heard Sol's voice echo 'he's lying'. Chapter 2 Flare was in the dark, in his prior clothes, a brown shirt with metal shoulder pads, some pants and leather boots and a scarf wrapped around his neck and shoulders. He walked across the dark void until Sol suddenly appeared in front of him. The higher beings sat beneath a tree, a dead tree, its branches alight in fire. "A bit dramatic..." said Flare, clearly not happy to see him. "Well you are a bit of a hard head..." said Sol, clearly amused and putting his hands and therefore sleeves together. He stood up. "Well I suppose it's time for your next assignment..." "Assignment...? I don't work for you...!" "Aw, such childish rebellion, you really do grow up fast..." Flare sneered. "I don't need this!" he turned but Sol and the tree were in front of him. "What...?" "We're in your head numb nuts..." "Then get out...!" Sol was silent for a moment. "No..." Flare rushed him throwing a punch but it stopped inches away from him. Sol raised an eyebrow, amused. "Because of you, those people died up there!" "Those people would've died inside the mines, or did you think 'she' would've just left them alone? Do you think they, in all their petty cruelty, would've just...let them go? Also, all of them would've been crushed when Armageddon Gospel rose up..." "Who...?" "The dragon, idjut..." "Stop insulting me...!" he said taking down his fist. "Then stop making it so easy. Honestly though, when has 'stop insulting me' ever actually worked...?" He walked past him. "You are becoming a very angry boy..." "And whose fault is that...!?" "Yours..." Flare turned around and Sol was gone. "Over here..." He turned to the side to see Sol standing over a pool of light. He ran over to him. "How...?" Sol said nothing "You said you know my origins...!" "Child, you are neither worthy nor ready for such information..." "By what right...?" Without warning Sol pointed his finger at him, showing his fingers to be onyx black talons. With that simple gesture, Flare felt thunder echo in his soul silencing him. Sol lowered his arm and put his hands back together. "Look..." Flare looked down. He saw them, images reverberating of silver humanoids, with red, blue and sometimes multicolored markings on their body. They were like him, with blue lights on their chests, sometimes in the shape of spheres, circles and other times more varied. "Those are...?" "They are Ultras, but more specifically they are Ultramen..." "And women..." "Plural 'he'..." "Okay..." "They are giants of light, they are Ultras, and as there are humanoids, you are an Ultranoid..." "Meaning...?" "You are an Ultra like being, heck, I could call you an Ultra and not be wrong...but I wouldn't be completely correct. A bit of you...is different, different from even a 'super' Ultra. However, Flare...you were created to be an Ultraman..." "I don't get it..." "Of course you don't..." he said annoyed but not surprised "Ultra is a species name, 'Ultraman' is a code of conduct, a way of life. In other universes, you would be called 'Ultraman' Flare...but you are unworthy of that title..." "Why is that..?" "You are weak..." "Why, because I have poison in my veins...?!" "No...imbecile...because you are weak in spirit. You did not need me to show you how to create that proxy transformation device. You did not need me to tell you to fight those slavers." "I could've gotten people killed...!" "You were afraid to kill. Ultramen protect the innocent, they fight those that disturb the natural evolution of a planet's biosphere...They fight monsters, they fight invaders, and you Ultra of Cinders...were made to fight all that and far more...it's why you naturally seek to protect, you are of the light...but you are unworthy..." "Why because I'm not a weapon...?" "I have plenty of weapons, tools that can break worlds...I even have one on time share that could kill a god...but 'warriors', now that's what I need, that's what 'they' need..." "Who...are 'they'...?" "The innocent bystanders, the men, women and children who will die, caught up in the tidal forces of things they asked to be no part in. Child, war is upon the cosmos, whether it likes it or not...and the light needs Ultraman, those who will fight the dark when ever it takes its monstrous forms." "I can do that..." "No, you cannot..." Flare sneered. "Pride is unbecoming...'boy' and no, it's not just because you risk blowing up every time you fight. When Death King attacked that world...you hesitated, you weighed your life against the entire world's..." "I...I was afraid...!" "And who wouldn't be...but you are 'Ultraman', you must have both 'kindness' and 'strength'...and maybe some intelligence while your at it..." "What does that mean..." Flare asked unhappy. "Firstly, go get your device...secondly...how you ended up here...?" "You called me..." "Child...If I wish to talk to you in private...I do not need to put you to sleep..." Flare paused. "He's lying..." Flare's eyes flashed. Chapter 3 When the light died down, Flare realized he was looking at the bright sealing and he was back in his bed, the machine hooked up to him again. He sat up and took off the wires, causing the two guards outside the enter and aim their guns at him. As they shouted Flare looked around, the dark of his eyes lit up as he saw through layers and depths of materials. In the closet in front of him were his old clothes. Moments later Flare walked out of the room, the guards left unconscious. He was now wearing his old clothes. Flare trekked down the metal walls and then stopped. He felt it, a tugging in his chest, a magnetic pull. It had always been there, forgotten but now at this distance it had flared up. Suddenly something hit him in the back of the arm, caught up in the sensation he didn't notice 'them'. His arm was unharmed but there was now a burnt hole in the back of his sleeve. He turned around and faced the line of guards who had trained their weapons upon him. "Sigh..." he went. His eyes glowed and a red aura covered his person, as the guards opened fire, shooting rounds of plasma bolts. Moments later Flare the metal door across the room, tearing it of its frame and leaving it warped and bent in. The room was a lab, devoted to examination of his device, a wand like object with golden Ultra like figure with his arms crossed. It was held in a glass case, with mechanical arms inside poking, scrapping, and scanning the device. "Dare I ask..." said Flare "What is the fascination with my trinket..." The scientist from before now aimed his blaster at Flare's head from the side. "You just couldn't have stayed asleep could you...?" Flare looked at him and raised an eyebrow curious. "When you were discovered, scans revealed the presence of Infernium in your veins, poisonous plasma, bonding to your cells in the form of steroids. Impossible, incredible...we knew we had to study you..." "So you kept me drug while...?" "We scanned you, we took blood samples, that wasn't enough, your physiology, your DNA scans, anatomical scans showed no answers. So..." "You were going to cut me open..." "A bit barbaric, but all in the name of science..." "And my device...?" "Oh, yes that...it is made of something unknown to us. All attempts at analysis and gathering samples have failed. It won't even be cut, it's a time crystal but indestructible...What does it do...?" Flare looked at him. "Very well..." He fired, but Flare turned and swatted the plasma bolt back into his shoulder knocking him down. The old man cursed, and Flare turned to the glass casing. Raising his hand, he emitted a red wave of energy that shattered the glass, before he grabbed the device and took of. "You think you can escape us, FOOL!" Some time later Flare had escaped. He walked through the forests until he came out to a clear, a hill over looking a small town. It was clear this world was colonized relatively recently. Although built with metal panels and electronics, a homestead was obvious, with the granary and sparse number of apartment complexes, modular structures set up with scaffolding for stairs and such. "Really, they are parasites..." said Sol. He was suddenly beside Flare hovering in the air. "What does that mean...?" "I seeded this world, a barren dead sphere, with the hopes that new life would emerge. These humanoids the decided to terraform it and subvert it for their desires. They didn't even need the space." "Then why don't you just make them leave..." Sol looked at him "That is now how it works, that is not how 'I' work. What choices mortals make for themselves is their own right. So long as they do not step into my territory I have no right to try and change that..." "Why not, if you don't agree with what they are doing..." "Trying to change, to force change upon how people think and act, is the domain of dystopias and tyrants." "You said Ultra fight invaders..." "Ultras are mortals, and when it comes down to it, they do not force their ways on anyone. Cinder Ultras like you are for things that violate, that insult evolution and the proper order of things. Your conflicts with giant monsters, even invaders...are at the farthest end of that definition." "So fighting that dragon was wrong...?" "Where did you get that idea...?" "You just... "Kid, you were made to be a guardian...just not a guardian against everything, and honestly...some people do not want to be saved..." "What does that mean...?" "It means what it means." "Alright...where to next...?" "That is your choice, you could leave this world, go to that village, or stay in the wilds, your call..." Sol looked at him "What?" "I...you're not going to try and order me about...?" "Firstly, I am well within my rights to order you about, secondly, I don't order you about, I give you directions to the best possible outcome, nothing more." "huh..." said Flare skeptical Chapter 4 "This is not acceptable..." said the scientist. He was with a soldier walking down a hallway. "Sir, plasma bolts do nothing to him, and he could throw us around like toys..." replied the soldier "taking him down was not as simply as you make it sound." "Excuses..." He swiped a card "The project cannot have any more delays." They walked through the door a large room. Inside several individual in lab uniforms were at terminals monitoring information "I know sir...just..." "You doubt the logic, don't you..." "I didn't say that..." "You don't have to...Have seen what's out there, the Xenoids have technology as strange and bizarre as they are. Then you have the mechanoids leading a crusade under their 'Magnus'. We need to be able to counter their weapons, chief among them, the mega-beasts..." The two looked through the windows, were a large, scaly, spiky winged creature was being held down. A tube was in its mouth, most likely feeding whatever was keeping him asleep, and its skull cap had been cut open, hoisted and held there to leave its brain exposed. Devices and circuitry were being placed on and within the brain by mechanical arms mimicking their motions of their operators who performed the surgery via VR equipment in another room. "How..." "Did this one get so large...?" the scientist finished "The mineral, the substance in that subjects blood was found to be highly compatible with the bio-chemistry of these creatures. With enough, we could make them large enough and strong enough to deal with those 'Ultras' which occasionally appear!" "I thought they weren't a threat.." "Anything not a Basik is a threat...Now, go and find him!" "Sir..." the soldier saluted and left. "Operator, status of the other Alpha...?" "The first enhanced subject is ready for deployment sir." "Good, I know of a few useless subjects that could test the creature's effectiveness..." Flare stopped and looked back. He could feel it, something waking up, something powering up. He was in the woods, drinking water from a river. He looked back at the direction of the town he had passed. He looked around, Sol was nowhere to be seen, the message was clear, this was his choice... The colonists went about their business, the adults went to work and their children went to school. The drove small electric cars on paved paths up and down neighborhoods of apartment complexes and homes that resembled space age hobbit holes. They went about their days in the belief that their world was safe, safe from invaders and safe from crime given their small community. However, while their world was safe from invasion, as much as world could be, this net of safety did not include them. When they first appeared over the horizon, no one really paid them any mind. They looked like birds, and to a degree that was true. But as the massive shadow in the air got closer and closer, people began to take notice. However by then it was too late. They were like wyverns, with all black scales, and heads shaped like arrows. Their jaws were positioned like a shark's and they swarmed as such. They attacked the cars, picked apartments, and snatched people of the ground with their mouths. That was until a red beam of energy moved in an arc wiping out several of them. Flare was in the air, in his Ultra form and looked down at the monsters in a challenging pose. "What is that...?" asked the scientist. He and others watched via a flying probe. However, he alone seemed unnerved by what he witnessed. "Uh..." said an operator "unknown, but...he seems to be giving off radiation consistent with...Infernium...?" "Oh...the other test subject...he's an Ultranoid...interesting...Have the birds focus on him, and send an Alpha!" All of the birds immediately spat fireballs at him. In response Flare erected a shield of red energy with his hands. He blocked all of them, which became a large burst of fire and then smoke. When it died down, he found himself swarmed by the birds, clawing and pecking at him until he fell out of the sky. Landing and forming a crater, Flare, quickly caught himself, remembering that he had to restrain his internal power. This left him open to attack however as the birds fired more fireballs at him. A thousand little stings struck him and made it hard to concentrate. Desperate he got up and spun around at high speed, firing several arcs of energy that took out many of the birds, or at least destroyed their attacks. Upon stopping, he fired a red beam, from the Specium Ray position, in arcs, taking out droves of them. "That is enough..." said the Professor "send out the fighters, and have the subjects return." Flare sighed to himself when he saw the birds retreat, flying back from whence they came in a much smaller flock. However, he was not done, those birds were a clear and obvious threat. He took off, flying after them and shooting his beam to take down more of them. "He's persistent...captain...?" The missile struck Flare in his shoulder from behind, he paused in mid-air as the fighters flew past him. The shock did more damage than the missile. Flare moved to fire when everything, including him stopped. "Are you really going to kill them, these humanoids...?" said Sol voice "for what, striking at you...?" "They are helping these birds...!" "They are following orders, and I doubt they like it anymore than you do..." "What do you 'suggest'...?" "Leave for now..." "Sir...!" "What...?" "One of the larger specimens is turning around...!" "What, order it to retreat...!" "I have sir...!" The two giants crashed into each other, their collision causing a sound like thunder as they were left to fall out of the sky Chapter 5 "Sit..." said Sol. Flare found himself in human form in a white void save for Sol who sat at a small table with a white sheet over it. "Uhm...?" said Flare confused. Sol snapped his fingers and the white void become a vortex of gold and red energy. "Sit..." Flare sat down. "Why am I here...?" "Why are you fighting...?" "What sort of question is that, in fact, why do you keep doing that, why...?" Sol was silent for a moment with a harsh glare that made the insolence in Flare run away. "You are free..." "I doesn't feel like it..." "Because you are without context...No other Cinder Ultranoid would think of doing what you were about to do." "What, I'm special...?" "Hardly the word I would used..." Flare knew that was meant as an insult "But regardless, you are what you are. You were poisoned at birth, by all rights you should not have been allowed to exist, but you have..." "Why...?" "You need to prove...that despite the venom within you, you can stay the path of the light without...supervision..." "You mean with you looking over my shoulder..." "Yes...and no, it is more than that. Which brings us back to my question, why are you fighting...?" "...I have to..." "You don't have to do anything..." "But I feel it, the call to punish the wicked, to save those people. Is that wrong...?" "No, the apprehension to evil is natural to all soul bearing species. However, there are many soul bearing organisms whose culture can be described as...evil. I worry about you, that you may lead yourself to stray. This is why you need rules..." "Why...?" "The road to hell is paved in good intentions boy, be sure to keep your distance. If you go about doing what feels...'right' chances are you won't even notice when you sink into the shadows..." "From what I've heard, such 'rules' are often a cause for conflict..." "There are a lot of 'causes' for conflict, some deep rooted, some petty, but every interaction leaves the possibility for conflict. Look at you, in the name of 'what feels right' you destroyed life forms. No matter how much it feels like it is right, you need to stay within your rules. Or do you plan to crush every planet that annoys you..." "I..." "Maybe not, but as I said, 'the road to hell'..." Flare calmed down. "Now...remember to control your power when you get back..." "Wait..." Sol looked at him "why, why does my power..." "As I said, you were poisoned, the 'venom' is causing a fission reaction along with the fusion reaction within your cells. The cellular process that you use to generate energy has been given a runaway effect. If you wish for some control, try unloading your excess energy as you try to keep the power within under control. Now...get up." Flare awoke to the burning pain of using his true form. His face was buried in the dirt and he got up and looked around. He was in a crater, shaped like his body and his foe was also getting up. The Kaiju version of the birds had the classical Kaiju form along with wings. It also got up and roared as it charged at Flare. Flare put up his arms in a stance and ducked under the swing to deliver a flame covered punch to the beast's gut that sent it flying back. It landed and it skidded but both giants stood up at the same time and both began to charge each other. The two smashed into each other, causing dust and dirt to be kicked up around them. They locked arms, but Flare released one to deliver several punches and elbow strikes to his foe's chest. The monster countered with a claw swipe to Flare's shoulder that sent him stumbling to the side. He stopped, turned around and was hit in the stomach by the monster's tail, sent flying and spinning as he landed some distance back on his chest. Flare coiled up in pain, from the blow and the heat rising within his body. His color timer turned red and began to blink, giving of a pinging noise. The monster began to charge at him, and Flare sat up, and to his knee and fire a bolt of red energy from his chopping motion. It struck the beast in the neck, making it stop but only for a moment. Flare raised his hand, which glowed red with energy, and brought it down in a chopping motion which generated a large red arc of energy that slammed into the monster. It left a nasty burn from its chest to its groin and it screamed out in pain. Flare then followed with a beam by putting his glowing hands in the Specium Ray position, firing a red and gold beam into its chest. There was a burst of energy, an explosion and the beast fell down as a massive third degree burn covered its chest. Flare fell to all fours, his pain now greater. He could feel his body heating up as his color timer flashed even faster. To his shock the monster got back up, but rather than continue to attack, it turned around, spread its wings and took off with flapping that generated hurricane force wings. Flare forced himself up to pursue but... "You will die..." said Sol voice, as it echoed in his mind. In a sense of defeat Flare fell to his knee, one hand on the ground, and faded away in a crimson glow. Chapter 6 The wounded monster hovered down into a massive silo opening, part of the base located in a mountain side. "Excellent..." said the head scientist. "Have probes and a search party sent out to find that 'giant'. The Ultranoid cannot be allowed to escape." "Sir, something is wrong with the creature's pen...!" "On-screen...!" The image that came up was of brutality, as the other kaiju version of the birds ripped out the throat of his wounded brethren and proceeded to devour the squealing creature alive. "Sir it..." "These things only respect strength it seems..." "So what hope have we of controlling them...?" "Fool, we have control over them. Now send out the team!" The scientist walked off, unaware that he can convinced no one but himself of their control over the monsters. Flare awoke in a bed, a simple mattress on a metal frame that had come out of the wall. The room was small, and his clothes, his old clothes were on the side resting on a chair. Flare found himself in a grey full body suit, the kind he saw the colonists wearing. It was a cross between a shirt, a pants and boots. It was then he remembered something. He patted himself, looking for his device, until he noticed it on the table next to him. Grabbing it, he looked around. The room was small, metal panels, and a few pieces of furniture all made off metal. That was when he walked in, a man and his wife, Basiks with blonde and red hair respectively. "Oh he's awake...!" said the wife cheerily. "Where am I...?" asked Flare. "Our home..." said the husband. He was much more abrasive in tone than his excited wife. "We found you in the woods nearby, you had a fever, so we brought you here." "Thank you..." said Flare "but I need to go." "You can't do that...!" said the wife "What about those birds, or that giant?!" "I will be alright..." said Flare with a soft smile. "Even so..." said the husband "you should stay for dinner." After a short meal, wherein Flare was taught how to use utensils, the sun began to set. Flare leaned on railing of the patio outside the apartment, which the sun set in a display of orange, yellow and purple. "So where are you from...?" asked the husband. Flare turned to see him walk outside and press a button on the wall. A chair with a cushioned seat arose formed out of the panel and he sat down to watch the sunset. "No idea..." said Flare turning back around. "I just came to and here I was in the world..." "Hardly a unique experience kid..." "Perhaps...this world is a colony...yes?" "A few cycle old..." "So why did you guys decide to come here...?" The man sighed. "The Alliance...it likes to believe its a utopia, but I've learned that's a loaded word. They're so busy trying to look wonderful, to sound wonderful than actually being wonderful... Sure, everywhere around us is worse off but..." he sighed again "we came here to start over, all of us. We just want a peaceful life..." "Huh..." said Flare. He stopped and paused and thought about that term, a 'peaceful life'. From what he knew of his people now, they were constantly fighting monsters, aliens, armies, fighting. Perhaps what he wanted wasn't to simply find 'them'. He thought about the idea of a 'home'. Then he remembered about the 'birds'. So long as they were around, there would be no 'peaceful life' for these people, no 'life' period... "Where did those birds come from....?" The man took out an electronic cigarette. "Who knows, but I bet those government goons know...They came here a few seasons back with their big fancy ships, just making a ruckus and built those unsightly facilities. No one ever told us what they were for..." "Why do you think they are responsible...?" "I know a black ops sting when I see one. They only reason we haven't is because we don't get enough traffic and since they came Extranet access has been hazy at best." Flare looked down, down at the families going back to their homes and the children playing around the fountain, a little monument to their achievement of surviving on this world for so long. He then looked to the distance and saw the smoke clouds, vehicles were coming. "I need to leave..." "And do what...?" "Shut them down..." The husband looked at him and smirked, laughing silently. Chapter 7 The soldiers stormed through the settlement, going and out of every apartment in SWAT teams, ransacking everything to find Flare. Flare was several miles away, walking across open fields and heading towards the facility. The one he had escaped. He walked with his device in hand and wearing his original clothes. "So..." said Sol, who appeared hovering beside him "You are going to do this because why...You feel like it..?" "Maybe..." said Flare unsure "probably, but even so, I refuse to let this continue any longer..." "So for that petty reason you will end lives...?" Flare stopped and turned to him. "I don't know, I just know I was made to destroy monsters! And I refuse to let there be more innocents...!" "That is not the kind of monster you were created to fight..." said Sol solemnly "in essence anyways, but that thing does qualify as 'Eldritch'..." "Strange...?" "No, 'Eldritch', life forms, for lack of a better term, that operate outside the regulations of evolution. Normal Kaiju, bend those rules, but they do not break them, and while this does not, its bloodline does." "Then why didn't you send me to destroy it...?" "You were not ready, clearly...and I had hoped to get another, if needed..." "What do you mean another...?" explosions went off around Flare. He turned to their soldiers, with an annoyed, tired expression. They had fixed their weapons at him, their gun and the cannon on their vehicle. "That's far enough...!" shouted the captain "drop whatever is in your hand and put your hands up!" "Do you even know why you're after me...?" "Don't know, don't care, I got orders kid..." "Don't call me kid...and if you have any decency, you will leave me be..." "Or what...?" said the soldier amused. "He's a smug one..." said Sol, unseen and unheard by all but Flare "and rigid in their thinking...they will not let you pass..." "So I have to fight them...?" "No, but they will fight you...?" "Why do you speak in riddle...?" "I am being most direct, you simply haven't realized what I'm saying..." "That sounds like you're talking in riddles..." "Well someone has grown cheeky...I do admit, it's better than the angst..." "I...I..." "Don't have a come back...?" Flare pouted "oh that is adorable..." "Give it...!" shouted the soldier. A group had walked up to Flare, when he seemed 'distracted'. The soldier grabbed the arm that had the device, raising it up. Or so he thought. Flare nonchalantly dug his fingers into the tinted glass dome of his helmet met and casually threw him away, sending him flying. Flare continued on as if he didn't notice what had happened, while the soldiers looked at him shocked and began shouting. "Okay, so I'm new to this whole 'witty remarks' thing, cut me some slack. No. Wait, we were talking about something, something serious." The energy bullet shattered on the back of his shoulder, knocking him forward. Sol floated upward, as Flare turned around annoyed at the frightened guard. Before they could react, Flare and grabbed him by his throat and thrown him into the group by the vehicle. He then struck soldiers around him, a gut punch, a neck chop, so on and so forth, keeping just a step in front their reaction, until the last one. He dove at him from the front, and moved to the side as he fired his gun, landing an energy bullet in the chest armor of the other soldier still standing, before getting a kick to the chest. It was one that sent him flying and spinning backward, leaving him to land on his stomach and be knocked out. "Hooo..." said Sol amused "Impressive, but such moves are not going to work on the monsters... Are you prepared...?" "No..." said Flare "I don't know...but I'm going now..." "A good enough answer..." said Sol "For now..." "Sir...!" said the operator. The base was on full alert, with red lights and sirens blaring when the head scientist entered the room. "What is the reason for that ungodly NOISE?!" Shouted the old man. "The giant, he is heading this way...!" "Oh...Send the birds..." "All of them...?" "All of them...!" Flare marched towards the base in his Ultranoid form. Each step crossed several yards, and he waited for the response of the group. The approach of the birds, was not what he expected, but he was glad for, there was nothing to feel bad for. He took a step forward as the black cloud approached, and stopped. The birds circled around him and shot fireballs at him. Flare bore the affects, he crossed his arms and bent forward, glowing bright red. Then he stood up and flew his arms open. In the distance the settlement saw only a red flash. On the battle field, the ground around Flare had been burnt and the incinerated, ashy remains of the birds fell around him. He continued onward towards the base, which by now had conjured up its defense turrets and missile pods. The blaster bolts and plasma warheads, did little against Flare's skin, and he took them down with a chopping motion, each one firing a red arc shaped bolt of energy, that destroyed the turrets. "What is he doing...?" shouted the scientist. "Unknown sir, he seems to be looking around..." "Get the Alpha up now...!" "We tried sir, but it wont respond." "What...?!" "High Energy Response detected!" shouted another operator. Everyone looked at the screen, where Flare had put his arms in an L shape position. His Ultra eyes, through trial and error, had seen through the mass of the dirt, the rock, and the metal construction of the base to find them, the eggs. He fired a red beam, which resulted in a large explosion that utterly destroyed that section of the base and caused damage in the rest of it. "No..." said the scientist. The control room was damaged, rocked by the explosion. Panels had fallen or burst out from small explosions. Several consoles had exploded killing or badly maiming their operators. Even the scientist was not unharmed, blood trickled down one eye. "No, you cannot stop me, you will not stop me...!" He shouted. The operator in front of him was dead now. He grabbed his charred body and pulled it out of the chair, and began pressing buttons, trying to cause some. Indeed, he was the impetus for something, but not was he wanted. His pettiness, his greed, his ego, and disregard for life. These dark emotions glowed in the ether and some was drawn to it like a moth to the flame. The ground rumbled and a massive clawed, scaly hand rose up and grabbed him. Flare watched as the beast rose up. It was now bigger than its prior counterpart, bulkier, with a longer neck. It was almost twice as tall as the one before, leaving Flare's eye level at its chest. A second pair of wings had appeared and its tail now sported an organic mace. In its hand was the scientist still squirming and screaming. "Let me go, let me go damn you, I command you, I control you...! You, Ultranoid, free me, save me, I command you, damn you...!" Time stopped and Sol sat on Flare's shoulder. "He is pathetic, a small creature trying to control things bigger than him, to raise his ego, to nurse his inferiority complex. So supreme is this priority to him that the lives of others are just cannon fodder to him. It is what attracted the birds in the first place, most likely, his sheer evil, wickedness, the dark in his heart... Between its nest-mate being digested in its guts, and the dark emotions that man radiates the beast has fed and grown strong. If you hesitate, this thing will spawn more eggs, and more than just this planet will be lost. No matter what, it does not win..." "No matter the cost..." said Flare, solemnly, but sadly. Sol patted him on the cheek before he faded away and time resumed. Chapter 8 Flare took a combat stance, but the creature seemed to pay him no mind. Instead it stuck the scientist upon its brow, which split open. Black vine shot out and burrowed their way into the man's body, turning him around that he may face Flare. "The power...!" shouted the Basik "the power! And the only thing in the way...is you...! You Ultranoids, it was bad enough dealing with those machines, now you come bringing your self righteous morals to someone else's Galaxy...?!" "Dude..." said Flare "You have issue..." The monster roared and charged at Flare. Flare readied himself only to be sent flying upon collision. He hit the ground and rolled, getting back up and firing a specium ray style beam. The charging beast was struck in its side, and bled black smoke, but continued running. Flare stood up crossed his arms, flung them open and ran covered in fire. When the two collided the energy around him burst forward with electrical bolts, sending the beast stumbling backwards. Sol watched from above, his his suddenly shined. "Power..." said the scientist "give me more of that power...!" "What...?" "Your power, it's Infernium, it's what we used on this guy, to increase his power. Your blood, it was in your blood, and we fed it to this beast!" "Why would my blood, my energy...?" said Flare. He shook his head and focused again. "You Ultranoids, you're not so innocent are you...?!" The beast roared and charged. "You have no right to talk...!" shouted Flare. He charged with a fist covered in flames. Flare dug his fist into the monster's gut and the fire swirled and gathered to his fist, exploding forward in a steam of fire, plasma and particles. The monster found itself being pushed back due to the energy unleashed until it all stopped. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA...!!!" Went the scientist, his body was covered in burns and his skin was blackened "Fool...!" The monster stepped forward and whipped Flare in the chest with its mace tail. Flare flew, landed and rolled and was left on the ground from the pain. "No matter how powerful your attacks, it is Infernium, these creature will metabolize it, grow stronger than it, you have no hope of stopping it...!" Time stopped, for everything but Flare. Before him appeared Sol. "He's wrong you know..." said Sol "The only reason that thing can absorb your attacks is because of that man. His evil feeds the beast, giving him the power to connect with the charge of the Infernium and immediately absorb it." "What you're saying...is to kill him...? I can't he..." "Looks, 'humanoid'? If you think evil is bound to forms of a certain criteria, you are wrong. More mortals have been killed by other mortals than monsters. Nay, the truest monsters, often are found in mortal form. At least kaiju have the excuse of being...beasts..." "But..." "Boy, I will not tell that you do not have to kill him, but you must stop that or all the friends you made on this planet...will...die..." Sol was gone and time resumed. Flare got up and took a fighting stance. The monster charged him and Flare charged forward, stopping it with a kick to the gut. It keeled over and Flare delivered an uppercut that made it stumble back. Flare continued onward with a chop attack only for the beast to grab his hand and twist it. It then grabbed him by the shoulder and bit at Flare's color timer. Flare was in pain, and red energy, particles and electricity flowed out of his warning light and down the beast's gullet. It glowed and grew bigger and bulkier. The scientist on top was laughing his head off. Flare felt his strength waning, fading and then Sol's words echoed in his head. He brought his free hand across his chest, it glowed golden and he swung, slicing of much of the crown and sending that chunk of flesh with the scientist flying. The monster roared in pain and threw Flare slamming into the ground like a rag-doll before limping away. The lump of flesh landed, rolled, and disintegrated into smoke, leaving only a burn man behind. "Fool!" he shouted "You think that can stop me? We will, we...AHHHHHH!" Smoke rose out of his body and slowly but surely it turned to ash. The beast spat a fireball at Flare, sending him rolling and turned to the town and took off. "No...!" shouted Flare. "I think not said a voice" A golden light appeared in the sky, blinding both combatants and forcing the beast to the ground. A golden humanoid figure came down in heavenly gold and landed in front of the beast. The aura faded to reveal...an Ultra...with a golden face. Chapter 9 The Ultra was golden, but they had silver markings on his body that resembled the shape of fire on his body, but all gold arms and legs. His eyes were white and his crest pointed forward with a green light on his forehead. He sported an Egyptian style necklace piece of armor with rough patches all about it. His body was defined, and muscular, and he stood with his fists on his hips. "I am Burnout..." he said "In the name of Sol I shall strike down the Eldritch and shatter the dark." The monster roared and Burnout just looked at it, while Flare looked at him in awe. To Burnout, the beast was little more than a mobile mountain with wings and feet. So swollen and bulky were its muscles, it looked fat. It charged, and with one hand Burnout lifted it into the air and threw it back. It landed on the facility crushing what as left as it struggled to get back up, flailing about. It got up to see Burnout walking towards him and spat fireballs but Burnout kept walking, an invisible wall protected him. The beast roared, but Burnout, he stopped and put one arm across his chest and another to his side and fired a gold/green beam from his forehead. It struck the beast and the same energy glowed from within, causing the beast to shrink and become smaller, its original size, now shorter than either Ultra. The now terrified creature looked about terrified and flew off. Burnout put his hands in an L position and fired a golden beam, destroying the beast in an explosion of golden light. He then turned to Flare and raised his hand. "No..." said Sol. He appeared next to Burnout, hovering in the air. "Leave him for now, you cannot help him...He must learn to expel the poison himself..." "And if he should fail...?" Sol's eyes flashed, and Flare passed out, turning back into his human form. "If he should fail, all of the Multiverse is doomed..." Flare was lost, he was in a dark place, where the shadows swarmed him. That was until a golden light shined chasing away the darkness. Flare looked to see Burnout and the two Ultras stood in a sea of golden currents. The two morphed into their human forms, with Burnout becoming an older man with long grey hair, a long beard, simple clothes and a hooded brown robe. "Burnout...?" asked Flare. He nodded. "You're, you're like me, an Ultra...?" "There are many Ultras..." said Burnout "We are Cinder Ultras, we were born to deal with a greater sort of evil." "I heard, there is so much I want to ask you...!" "No..." "What...?" "No. Lord Sol is your direct guide, he will teach what you need to know, when you need to know it..." "The only thing he has taught me is that I'm not good enough!" "And you're not..." Flare had a look of such sadness when he heard those words. "You were corrupted at birth, as is evident that the monster could siphon of your energy like that. With normal Ultras and normal monsters, it's one thing, they typically share similar origins. Yet...Death Flapper is a beast of Eldritch descent, that it could feed of the power of a Cinder Ultra illustrated what a liability you are to the cause." Flare looked down. "Fret not, Lord Sol has chosen to guide you on the path..." "Path to what...?" "Freedom...the removal of your curse." "Why doesn't he just remove it?" "That's not how it works. He has chosen this path, because it is the best path he could see for you. He may not tell you everything, and for good reason...but he will not lie to you." "What about the others...?" "They would attack you on sight. Sol called me specifically for a reason. I don't have to be reigned in. I wish you good fortunes on your journey and remember. It always seems darkest before the dawn." "But..." "Enough..." said Sol's voice. A crack appeared in the distance, and it forced itself open, revealing a star shining bright on a sea of flames. It was the eye of Sol. "Enough, has been said. Flare, the next length of your journey, it it time to begin." The eye of fire, sent out a flash of light, forcing Flare to close his eyes. When he came two, Flare was on the ground, in a crater shaped like his body. Burnout was there in human form and Sol hovered next to him. Flare got up, arm holding his side and Burnout nodded. The older man pulled back his sleeve revealing white marble bracelet with golden lines and design, and a jade sphere. "BURNOUT!" he shouted. The bracelet glowed and covered him in golden particles. The light took off into the sky. Flare knew, however, it was more than that. It was gone from this galaxy, perhaps even this universe. "So cool..." said Flare. "Ready to go..." said Sol. "Where to...?" "Where you are needed..." Flare paused for a moment. "I suppose there are worse places to go." He pulled out his device and took of as a red comet, with Sol flying next to him.Category:Ultraman Flare Category:SolZen321 Category:Episodes Category:Metaverse Series Category:Completed Works